Who are the target patients?

Any patients who have the following problems or diseases should be referred to the Swallowing disorder physician (Swallowologist):

• Difficulty with eating or drinking.

• Difficulty with chewing food.

• Loss of food or liquids from the mouth.

• Food sitting in the mouth long after a meal.

• Difficulty with swallowing of solids and/or liquids food.

• Coughing or choking when eating.

• Wet or gurgled voice after eating or drinking.

• Food sticking in the throat or chest.

• Oro-facial muscle weaknesses associated with dysphagia.

• History of frequent attack of aspiration pneumonia.

• Frequent episodes of regurgitation, reflux, or spitting up after a meal.

• Losing weight.

• Neurodegenerative disease (e.g., Amyotrophiclateral sclerosis, Parkinson’s disease).

• Spinal cord injury.

• Neurological injury (e.g., cerebrovascular accident or traumatic brain injury).

• Following treatment for head and neck cancer (e.g., surgery and/or radiation therapy and/or chemotherapy).

• Vocal fold mobility disorders (e.g., recurrent laryngeal nerve injury, superior laryngeal nerve injury).

• Tracheostomy.

• Mechanical ventilation or other respiratory issues (e.g., chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), bronchopulmonary dysplasia.